"The collar, recently acquired by the museum, is believed to have been worn by Dickens as he sat down to dinner at his home, Gad's Hill Place in Kent. He collapsed during the meal and died the following day. After Dickens's death, the collar passed into the hands of the actor and music hall performer Bransby Williams, who became famous for his stage portrayals of characters from Dickens's novels."
"Dickens wore the stockings, along with a dark jacket, trousers and white waistcoat, and even a ceremonial sword, to a formal reception at St James's Palace on 6 April 1870, where he met Edward, Prince of Wales. With characteristic humour, Dickens later described the outfit as 'Fancy Dress'."
"Although so few garments remain, contemporary accounts suggest that Dickens was a notably flamboyant dresser. A newly colourised photographic portrait included in the display reinforces that image. Originally taken by photographer Herbert Watkins in June 1858 and restored in 2020 by Oliver Clyde, the photograph shows Dickens standing confidently at a desk in a striking outfit, complete with a gleaming gold watch and chain."
The Charles Dickens Museum has acquired a shirt collar believed to be the last worn by Dickens before his fatal collapse at dinner in 1870. The collar subsequently passed to actor Bransby Williams, famous for portraying Dickens characters. It will be displayed alongside black silk stockings from Dickens's only known surviving suit, worn to a formal reception at St James's Palace in 1870 where he met Edward, Prince of Wales. A newly colorized 1858 photograph by Herbert Watkins shows Dickens in striking attire with a gold watch and chain. Contemporary accounts and visual evidence confirm Dickens was a notably flamboyant dresser who enjoyed fashionable clothing.
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